Being Alive, from Company, is one of the most famous of Sondheim's early songs. Company was a landmark musical as it featured a series of vignettes rather than a linear plot. Dean Jones was the first person to sing it, although he only made it to open night of Company’s premiere in 1970, after which the role was taken over by Larry Kert. Company was revived on Broadway in 2007 and that show's lead, Raúl Esparza, performed the song at the Tony Awards that year: You can see his version here.
Being Alive comes at the end of the show and serves as a summary for the journey the lead character, Bobby, takes through the play and it has a soaring quality that marks it as memorable. Originally a song called Marry Me A Little was in that slot but it was felt during the out-of-town tryouts that it didn't truly capture Bobby's journey, so a new song was written. Marry Me A Little now appears at the end of the first act in the most recent revivals.

So where were you the first time you heard it? For me, I was working as an usher at The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres in Toronto in December 1989. Side by Side by Sondheim (produced by Marlene Smith) was the show used to re-open the Winter Garden after it had been hidden away for 60 years. Side by Side had originated with a group of English performers in 1976 who wanted to perform the songs in concert. The show went on to great acclaim, first on the West End and then Broadway and it's been revived many times since, most recently in Toronto by CanStage in 2004.

The Winter Garden production featured three powerhouse singers: Kathy Michael McGlynn, who had played Grizabella in the Canadian production of Cats; Karen K. Edissi, fresh off her triumph as Miss Adelaide in the Stratford Festival production of Guys and Dolls; and Davis Gaines, who had recently wowed Toronto in Damn Yankees and would force this production to close early as he went to Broadway to take over the role of The Phantom.

It's been 20 years and I still remember the passion in Davis' voice. The song seems to bring out the best of its singers. Years later, I was at a concert version of Company by Reprise Concerts at the Jane Mallet theatre (1998, I believe, with Charlotte Moore as Amy) and I had the pleasure of hearing David Rogers sing it. So the person taking on the song next month has a lot to live up to.

Till Next Time
MK

 


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Sondheim in September is a charity event benefiting The Actors Fund Of Canada